Vacuum sealing machine



Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERcl-l VACUUM SEALING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed June 9, 1942 smqu Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERCH VACUUM SEALING MACHINE original Filed Jun'e 9, 1942 12 Shets-Sheet 2 V M ."Qi a@ E m @Q a ,ww

Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERcH 2,482,609

VACUUM SEALING MACHINE Original Filed June 9, 1942 1 2 Sheets-Sheet 5 I @En f.\\ Non Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERCH A VACUUM SEALING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Shea*I 4 Original Filed June 9, 1942 SN .YTQAIMM www mM mw wm h 5m, Non. mOn.

Sept. 20, 1949.

s. H. BERCH VACUUM sEALING MACHINE 12 sheets-sheet 5 Original Filed June 9, 1942 ,wm w Re .dw a:

NH Num /m VACUUM SEALING MACHINE Original Filed June 9, 1942 12 Sheets-Sheet 6 Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERcH VACUUM SEALING MACHINE Original Filed June 9., 1942 12 Sheets-Sheet.` '7

Sept. 20, '1949. s. H. BERcH VACUUM SEALING MAVCHINE l2 Sheets-Sheet 8 original Filed June 9, 1942 QN Em\ @NLWN L@ Sept. 20, 1949. s. H. BERCH VACUUM sEALING MACHINE 12 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed June 9, 1942 .fh n @M T m mf VH@ mw.

S. H. BERCH VACUUM SEALIVNG MACHINE sept. 2o, w49.,

Original Filed June 9, 1942 Sheets-Sheet 10 :Hindi- 1 lill /M/EA/Toz,

Smvusz f7]- 552:5/

Sept-20 1949. 'S.H.BERCH '2,482,609

VACUUM SEALING MACHINE original Filed June 9, 1942 l 12 sheis-sheei 11 l0 /00 Il SepL, 20, 1949?. s. H. BEECH VACUUM sEALING MACHINE Original Filed June 9, 1942 l2 Sheets-Sheet 12 z. my, W5. E M 5 om -sealed seams.

Within a magazine from..swl-1ich theyv arecon.-

Patented Sept. 20, 1949 wacom MACHINE Samuel .11. Bereit, Los Angeles, Salif., 'assignor .Flexible Vacuum Container Corporation, VLos .Angelcs,(}alif a corporationot. Nevada idinnil appiinnaion: .lune 9, 1942, Serial No. v1.150.291.; .Biniledzamd thisapplnmtionlMaxl, .-ElMLiSeriavLNn. 348,204

Y notam. (clasps-'s Tmsmventmn renten-.o1 mechanismen: form# ing. lling and .vacuum sealingpackages, particularly pertains to a vacuum sealing` maf chine, .this application .beinga .divisionoi 4my application entitled ".llacuum .packaging lla- At the present .time considerable-.development -Work is beingv doneln connection the .formation of packages .within which. .Various products are vacuum sealed, suchpackages heingo the general character as .shown inmyPatentNo. 2,102,716 entitled Method and means ci .packaging food .products thell'ike issued December 21, 1937.. .These packages .are characterized as .being formed .from flexibleshect' malterialinto a at folded 'bag-like haring heat These 'hlanks .are

after vacuum .sealed .within the container, Yandit .is the princpalobject,ofthepresenlt invention to ,prox/idea .packaging machine. Winch is compact .in c.ons'trnc'tion and designe. will occupy. a relatively small. amount .of iloorspace andmill .act in an automatic fmanner to. toren, .fill and' seal exible containers within .which a.Lp-nod..-r

'uct is' packaged. `.a ycondition'fof lva'c 1luin.... v

present. invention contemplates :the .provision of a machinellhav'inga unitary tra-me structure carrying. synchronous driving. means.,

Y whereby an endless conveyor may travel trom la magazine .station toa filling .stationf .and .then through a vacuumsealing station, during which time a container is removed from.; thev magazine, .folded to .give .it definite .form,..nd thereafter .filled and sostieni.,v all off-.said operation taking place automatically and .rapidly .so that the packaging of food may becas-fied onteccnomi- .cally .and witha rmnimum'amount 4of labor..

Ehe inventionis illustrated by wayfof example .in the accompanying Adrawings in which.:

Figure'l is a View 'inside elevation showing 'the completely .assembled with the upper portion of thebag Fig. 1'L 'is a iragmentary view in side Jel'ex'ration showing .the portion of .theA bag .forming .unit which .was broken'awayfinllig. 1.`.

Fis. 2 1s' a'view `in side eievanonsnowiiig 'one oppositeside ofthe entire machine 'from .dis-

closedinFig. 1.] 1

Fig. '3 isa viewfinhorizontal,.section through .the .assembled machine. as. seen on fthe line. r.2t-i3 of Fig. ,.'1 and vtisclc'xses .conveyor mechanism and. the drive for 'the' various uni'ts of the machine. Fig. 4`1s a view in planshowing .the completely .assembled machine.

5 lis. a viewjin vertical sectionthrough *the machine as seen on thel'ine 5.5.of Fig. 4.

. Fig. 61s a. view.in..end-.elevat1on showingihe discharge end "of the machinef Q Fig. "7 -is a View 'in transverse section "showing the bag .spreading mechanism .as Seen Von thefline 1--1 of Fig. 4 Vandywththe "spreailers retracted. Fig. 8 is Va viewsimilar 'to mglv'showmgthe spreading ng'ersv iin' aspreading -position fhemouthnftheoag. r

.,Fig. 911s a viewjnplan 'showing the folding .mechanism 'for the'mouth 'oi'thebag Fig. "10 is .'a 'View' 'transverse section on. *the line Ill-,|13V of Fig; '9 'showing the-trip me'chamsm vfor themouthiofthefbag..

Fig. 11 is a' ragmentary viewin perspective showing the 'specialorr'nation of the ends 'of the spreading fingers whichlt into the mouth of the fFigplZgis ani enlargedjview 'in enovv elevation Showing.. the-.'vauum'zig andy "heat seairrg .'E ig "1;3. is ajviewin vertical section ktl'n'onfgl'i 'the 'vacuumizingjand heat. sealing'rnelchanism las seen on the line 13'-|3..of`Fig. 12 'and .shows thefheaft sealingeleinent as being in its retracted position. '"Flg." 14isjga'view *similar tolthat shownln Fig. 13 with the heat 'sealing/element in its contacting position.

Fig. 15 jsavie'w in Avertical section vasseenon the line f5- I5 o'Fig. 12 and discloses .a suction control valve in its low suction position.

tion as-seen on the. line l-f.l6..of Fig. 12--and showing. the high .valve in its open IJOSIOD. 1 j A Fig. 17 is .a View lin vertioalsection and elevation .asseen on the :line H-fllo-Eig 12 vand shows the .releasefvalwe in .its open position.

Fig. 18 is a fragmentary view inelevation as seenxm the 1ne-..I8 .I8,o f.Eg.;1 andv discloses Y.the filling. .hoppexsrf in their positions.

Fig. 19 is a view similar to Fig. 18 showing the iilling hoppers with their spouts lowered to enter the mouth of the container for filling the saine.

Fig. 20 is a fragmentary view in plan showing the arrangement of the bag openers and the magazines.

Fig. 21 is an enlarged fragmentary view in side elevation showing the bag opening mechanism in its retracted position.

Fig. 22 isa view similar to Fig. 21 showing the bag opening mechanism in its projected position.

Fig. 23 is a view in perspective showing the folded container blank.

Fig. 24 is a view in perspective showing the formed bag prior to filling.

Fig. 25 is a view in perspective showing the nal filled and sealed package.

Fig. 26 is a. fragmentary view as seen on the line 26-26 of Fig. 28 and shows a, portion of the operating mechanism ofthe bag expanding elements. f

Fig. 27 is a view in horizontal section on the line 21-21v of Fig. 6 and shows the parts of a bag expanding element. Y Fig. 28 is a view in horizontalsection on the line 28--28 of Fig. 1 and shows part of the operating mechanism for the bag expandingunits.

Fig. 29 is a fragmentary view in side elevation showing the elements for Awithdrawing a bag from the bag magazine as indicated in Figs. 21 and 22 `and which in this vfigure show the bag in a partially withdrawn position. l

Fig. 30 is anenlarged view in horizontal section showing the bag spreadingl device as seen on the line 3ll-30 of Fig. 8.

Fig. 31 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing a portionof the lifting device for the seaming head.

Referring more particularly to the drawings,4 I and II indicate base plates. These plates are spaced vertically and are disposed parallel to each other. They are secured together `by cross beams I2 and I3. Rotatably supported by the base plates are horizontal conveyor shafts I4 and I5. These shafts are `disposed in spaced parallel relation to f each other and lie in the same horizontal plane. Mounted upon the shaft I4 is. a pair of conveyor sprockets I6 and I1. Mounted uponthe shaft I5 is a pair of conveyor sprocketsI and I9. A conveyor chain 20 is led'around sprockets IS and Iii, and a conveyor chain 2| is led around sprockets I1 and I 9. These chains carry mold-units 22. The mold units-are shown in detail in Figs. 13A and 14 of the drawings and will be described more` specifically hereinafter.-` It should be pointed out, however, that .each mold unit is provided with pockets to receive 4a plurality of flexible bag-like containers which are to be filled and sealed in the machine with which this invention is ooncerned. The sprocket chains 20 and 2I are driven simultaneously and intermittently and successively move beneath a bag magazine stationA, a filling station B,a spreading station C,and a vacuum sealing station D.

Bag magazine and forming mechanism The container with which the' present invention is concerned is a flexible bag-like container made by folding a sheet of laminated material upon itself, and then sealing the meeting faces of the folded leaves along their opposite marginal edges. Such a container is shown in Fig. 23 of the drawings. Here it will be seen that the folded leaves arel of slightly ldifferent length, the bag being generally indicated at 23,`so that the upper 4 leaf 24 will be shorter than the lower leaf 25, thus providing an extension of the leaf 25 beyond the end of the leaf 24 to facilitate in handling the bag and opening the mouth 26 during the forming operation. The bag when formed at the station A will appear as generally shown in Fig. 24 of the drawing, and when in its final filled and sealed condition will appear as indicated in Fig. 25 of the drawing. The details of these structures will be hereinafter explained.

The flat folded bag blanks 23 are positioned within' a magazine structure, generally indicated at 21 and as being a, part of the magazine and forming station vA. It is to be understood that the present machine has been designed to act simultaneously upon five blanks or packages as the operation of the machine progresses. In certain instances it may be found desirable to prolong a vacuumizing operation to slowly draw the air from a group Aof packages, in which instance alternate groups `of packages may be vacuum treated while other groups are being formed and fllled. Y

The bagvma-gazine and forming structures are shown particularly in Figs. 1, 2, 20, 21 and 22 of the drawings. Here it will be seen that the magazine21 provides a plurality of hoppers 28 which are separated from each other by vertical plates 29. Disposed between the vertical plates and inclined downwardlyand toward the discharge end of the machine are floor sections 30. Upon these floor sections a plurality of theV fiat folded bag blanks 23 are stacked in parallel vertical alignment and withl their mouths 26 presented upwardly. Mountedin each of the hoppers 28 is a follower plate ,3| which moves against the back face of the group of bag `blanks and forces them downwardly and forwardly toward the discharge ends of the hoppers. Disposed in the rear of each follower plate is a weight 32 having a handle 33, the weight adding pressure to the follower plate to successively move the Voutermost blank to the discharge openingas a preceding blank is withdrawn from the magazine.

The complete magazine structure is held together by a back plate v34 'anda front plate 35. These receive shafts 36. The magazine is supported by standards 31, and .38 disposed at the opposite ends of the magazine and mounted in seats 39 secured to the base .plates IIJ and II by bolts 40. Extendingthroughrthe plates 29 and beneath the floor 3D of the hoppers vare rods 4I which are fastened to cross arms 42 carried by the standards 31 and 38.V These standards extend a considerable distance above the magazine 21 [and carry a superstructurefrom which the bag yforming mechanism is suspended. Cooperating vertically on the standards 46 and 41.

with the standards v31 and 38 are cross frame members 45. Guide standards .45 and 41 are provided intermediate the two sets of supporting standards and carry a cross-head 48 which slides This cross-head'provides a support for a series of bag forming elements 49,'one of vwhich is complementary to a bag hopper 28. The cross-head 48, as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings, comprises a cross-bar 50 on which thev bag spreading elements 49 are disposedY in Aspaced relation to each other. The member 5 0 is tted with bearing blocks 5I at its opposite ends which blocks are formed with an outwardly projecting boss 52 and attaching members 54 and 55. Mounted on the bearing blocks 5I is a shaft 53. Sprocket chains 56 and 51 are secured to the attaching members 54 and 55, respectively, andare led around sprocket wheels 58 and 59. -The sprocket wheels and 89 are mounted upon a shaft 60 which extends through bearings 6| and 62l carried onl the crossframe members 45. A tie rod 63 extends from one cross frame member 45 to the other. This carries a central standard 64 through which the shaft 60 also extends, Coiled around the shaft 60 at opposite sides of the standard 64 are coil springs 65 and 66. These springs are secured to the standard by one of their ends and are secured to the shaft adjacent to their opposite ends. Thus, the 'weight of the cross-bar 50 and the spreading units 49 is counterbalanced by these springs, which will coil and-recoil as the cross-head reciprocates vertically. i

-The cross-head is provided with bearings 61 through which a shaft 68 extends and is mounted for horizontal reciprocation. This shaft carries a plurality of blocks 69 which are each formed with an upwardly opening slot 10. These slots receive pins 1|, each of which is mounted on the free end of a lever arm 12, which forms part of bell cranks'13. VThe other arm 14 of each of the bell cranks is fitted with a slotted end to receive a-'pin 15. The pins 15, engaging each of the bell cranks, are mounted on spreading bars 18. These spreading members extend downwardly into the bagv forming units through guides 11 which are carried by the ycross-head 48 and will act to shift the members 16 in expanding and contracting 'the bag forming elements 49. These elements are shown in Fig. 27 as having opposite side walls 19 and 19 with hinges 80 along their vertical edges. These hinges connect with wall sections 8| and 82 which are secured together by an intermediate hinge 83. The width of the walls 18 and 1,9,- represent the width of a package to be formed. The combined width of plates 8| and 02 represents the thickness of the package to be formed. Carried at the lower end of the plates-18 and 19 are end walls B4 and 85 which are hinged to the side walls 18 and 19 by hinges 86 and are hingedV together by an intermediate hinge 81. The bars 16 bring the end walls 84 and 95 into-horizontal alignment and thus spread the form to a shape which defines the'inner contour of the bag, as shown in Fig. 24 of the drawings. This operationis produced when the shaft 69 is shifted longitudinally through the .bearings 61. A lockcam 89 is carried on the shaft and is engaged by' a locklroller 89 which is yieldably held on the cam and will temporarily hold the rod 68 in either of its extreme positions. g;

The end of the shaft 68 is formed with a groove 00 within which a shifting lever 9| is mounted This lever mechanism is shown in Fig. 28 of the drawings, where ity will be seen that it is carried onan arm 92 of the cross-head structure 48 and is mounted on a pivot pin 93. The opposite free end of the lever carries a roller 94 which engages an upper cam block 95 mounted upon the standard 31 and disposed near the upper end of the yvertical movement of the cross-head 48. In the lowermost position of the cross-head the roller of. lever 9| engages a cam block 96 carried on the standard 31 which acts upon the lever to shift the rod 88.

Pivotally mounted upon the cross frame structure is a vacuum cup arm 91 whichis carried upon a pivot pin 98 within a bearing' }99. The armextends downwardly and is fitted at its lower end rwith an air manifold |00 connected with a suction pipe |0|. The manifold carries a plurality of vacuum cups |02 which communicate with the manifold through tubes |03` 4 and |04. Y These vacuum cups are arranged in pairs in vertical alignment and engage thefront face of the outermost container blank 23 in the hoppers` of the" magazine 21. The arm 91 is iitted with a spring |05 which Ytends to draw the free end vof the arm away from the magazine 21. An eccentric cam |06 is provided to bear against a roller |01 on the arm 91 and to force it inwardly. The eccentric cam |06 is mounted on a shaft |08 carried in bearings |09. The bearings |09 are mounted on the uprights 43 and 44. A sprocket ||0 is carried upon the shaft and is driven by a'. sprocket chain through means to be hereniafter described.-

Mounted'upon the cross-head structure 48 and in bearings |12 is cross-shaft 53. This shaft is fitted at its opposite ends with gears ||4 which mesh with a gear rack ||5 cut in the face of thetwo uprights 46 and'41. This causes the cross-head with the forming units carried thereby tomove vertically while maintained in exact horizontal alignment. When the forming units 49 do move vertically they pass downwardly and across the open end of the hoppers of the magazine 21 and strip the outermost bag from the stack of bags within the magazine. The upper edge of the magazine is formed with a lip H6. Due tothe fact that the 'bag blank has a side 25 which is longer than the side 24, thereV will be a tendency for the suction cups to pull the side 24 outwardly while the upper edge of the side 25 istemporarily held by the lip ||6. In order to hold the mouth of the bag open when this operation takes place spreading fingers I|8 are =provided to swing into the open mouth of the bag and temporarily hold it open so that when the 'forming unit 49 is lowered it will easily enter the mouth'of the bag. These'spreading fingers are mounted upon operating shafts 36 which are rotatably supported upon the magazine structure 'and are fitted at their opposite ends with a gear |20. The gear |20 is in mesh with a cross-rack 2|, the end of which is secured to a lever |22. This lever is mounted upon a pivot shaft |23 supported by fittings |24 upon the uprights 31 and 38. The lever |22 is formed integral with a lever |25 which extends downwardly and carries a cam roller |26 at its free end. This roller bears against the 4circumference of a disc cam |21. The disc |21 is mounted upon a horizontally extending cam shaft |28, which will be described in detailv hereinafter.

Disposed upon the front plate 35 of the magazine is a series of pairs of forming plates |30. These plates flare downwardly and inwardly and have lower parallel portions 3| between which thepackage is formed, and its vertical edge seams |32 are folded over as shown in Fig. 24 of the drawings. Cooperating with the plates |30 are sets of rollers |33 carried upon swinging arms |34, and which arms yieldably bear against the seam. portions |32. The opposite ends of the arms are mounted upon pivot pins |35 carried upon a cross-bar |38. This bar is mounted at its opposite ends uponsleeves A|31 carried upon the uprights 48 and 41.

Conveyor system As has been previously'described, this ma` chine is provided with a conveyor system which includes sprockets I6 and |1 at the entry end of the machine, and sprockets |8 and |9 at the opposite end of vthe machine. These sprockets carry sprocket chains 20 and 2| upon which are mounted mold carrying units 22 including trou'ghlike members |38 which are arranged imm iazralllel ato eaeh other :stand 4itr1answersely of the rpath 'pf Atravel 'of the :so that y:they n'illgpassdzxeneath ethe mechanism at `the yvarious .operating :stations :of the machine Each of @the .trough enemloers vflies .is provided Ywith :a plurality oimolds rita. .These moldshaveiupp'eriopenends enh a'lily hush @with the bottom .of the trough :Carr g rit :and entends downwardly to .tonni a fcoinpartmerrt having the acongurationaof thepaclrage te he noiuned*MirtheV machine. yThe position-foi the :molds along the troughV causes .these .molds to register w-i-ththe series 4vof .spreading units le lich have been previnuly-descrihe-d, and which lli-nits .carry the .formed empty container-s .V23 downwardly into the molds so that they can he lled. Y

'llhe'troughs are provided -witha pair-:of folding Viinf'gers lill! and 14|. Thesenngers are mounted upon pivot |42 .-|43 respectively, and

swing vertically to positions across the mouth of the molds to hold the .mouth ci the 'bag in a .folded position preparatory to ,heat sealing., as will he hereinafter described. The ngers l-tlare provided with -a pressure plate lM14 upon `which the seam portion of `the .mouth of the --bag Arests during the heat sealing operation. Normal-ly, the .fingers i it land MI yare-.swung upwardly in parallel vertical positions, as shown 13 of the drawings. When in this position .the opened .-end of the .container 23, such as shown .in Fig. 24 of the zdrawings, and the container will thus be ready for lling when .it `registers with the filling station, indicated .in Fig. .1 er, ie. y Y

Filling Mechanism Referring particularly to Figs. 18 and 19, it will he 'seen that a storage bin |65 'is -jprovided having a `phirality'oi outlets |46. These outlets extendV vertically from the bottom of the fbin and have slidably mounted upon them tubular spouts ill. The storage bin M5 is mounted on the uprights ISI-l and ed by brackets |48 and M9. The spouts lfi are supported by links |55) carried at the free ends of lever arms |5|. These lever armsf are vmounted on pivot pins |52 carriedjby rachets |53. A lever arm |53 is integral with thelever arm ll and is fastened to an operating rod |55; The operating rod '|55 extends downwardly and is pivctally connected'to a lever "|56 carried upon a pivot pin |5`l on the bed plate structure oi the machine. A lever |58 is formed integral with the lever |56 and carries a roller A|59 which pears against a cam |69. Through this mechanism the tubular spouts |41 are `vertically reciprocated. As shown in Figs. 18 and 19 of the drawings, the spouts are rectangular in cross-section and have their front and baci; walls Yout `away to form two downwardly extending fingers itl and |52. These fingers tendto di'-- rect the material from the bin into the formed bags 23 which lare supported within the molds |39 carried by the travelling conveyor chains 2D and 2l. v

Beg spreadngmeans 28 are shotmimoreparticulanly-dn '7., u8 fand e1 of the 'drawing-s.. Here `it 1will -be seen that rthe .opposite fbedgplates liand. Irl carry sockets 1h63 and ltd which :receive standards |65 and 4:56. .These .standards fareisecured to a @cross lfname structure =|6i| Mountedfon'thecross iframe .structure Y31 fare @set-sof. spreading ibars I-GBa-nd fliS. fT-heselamellreld tofslide between ppairs of plates :|10 and and fare :disposed :at-right angles to reach other, [Ehe lha-rs =crossveach..other, so that they maywmove froma retractedpostiomas shown in 'Elige 7 '-to an extended and expanded position, as shownin lili-g. 8. IThe bar 458 fis/formed withfargear .rack lll-linfmesh with-apinion H3. 'Ilheharl is formed with a gear rack |14 in mesh withs. pinion le. Thel pinions Aare `carried .between'the plates il and .ll FH -of the supporting xmember |551. .-Eaoh-ofzthese Lpirrions .is ralsoin mesh with .-a "gear mackdf'lftonmed upona rack'bar HH. Theil-ack par isrslidaole transversely of the .machine and fis fitted with a pin M8 'extending into a slotted 'opening HQ of ralever 18|). 'IE-he lever |80 fisseatl-the 'end 'ofashaftl l .mounted-ina :frame bearing- Iez., asshownjin-ffg. .1. .The shaft also extends into anca-ring AV|83 and Vcarries-La oam'arm rld upon a-fcamoller |85 .is mounted, -as shown in :Fig- `Fill-1e rollerfl'd `engages Vthe peripheryof a cam discl .whichis carriedupon the-.shaft 42d. The ends of the .spreading bars f8 |59 --are of 4special configuration, 4as .show-n in perspective in Fig. 1.1 of the drawings. Bereit wi-lilbe seen that ltransversely yextending spreading'feleme-nts MFI-are toni-ned at the ends of the spreading bars LBR-and el 6-9. rllhese yspreading -elernentsJ-'l have :asquareb'ack face -|92fat right angles tothe fsidesof the bag. Outer faces A|88 and lfareff'ormed on ea'chofthe elements 481 to .Contact the mouth of the laag. These lfaces are at right angles to .each other, .although the length .of face M39 .is materially .greater than the length of the face' |188.' Edge `faces 490 Vand .19| ATare formed between the 'angular ifaces |88 Yand |89, respectivelyjand; the-back face i532. The -edge .fa-ce les of greater .length-than th'evfedge Aface im. It will be evi-dent that when vthe vedge ifaces Alle :and :|91 Contact the opposite sides2-4 fand 25 of the bagthe fpointj193., reprie'sentil'ig the apex betweenithe faces 'lfanrl |89, will be Voffer-:enter relative to thebagfand will Cause the endpoints to apply pressure at a point ori-one 'side of the longitudinlal seam l 32 'of the bag blank. This prevents undue strain on the' heat sealedseam |32, which would tend to weaken the bag and would be 'applied if thepoi'nt '|93 registered directly with .the seam. i

f y Vacuum-.sealing mechanism After a group of molds 39 havebeen acted upon by the spreading bars `and lingers at the bag spreading station the bag 23 is sealed.`Th-is takes place'at vthe vacuum sealing station, indicated'at Din Fig. 1. Y

The vacuum sealing mechanism comprises a head |94 vwhich is an inverted trough-'like memberextendng transversely of the frame. At opposite ends of the trough-like member are bearing` Vblocks' 95 formed with openings through whichstandards |96 and ll extend. The standards 'aremounted in vertical positions .in fastening blocks! $8 andA |99, respectively, secured to the bed plates lil and ll. 'Thus, by this mechanism the head v94 may be .moved bodily -in a vertical di-4 rectionand' when moved downwardly will register with a sealing .lip 20G .formed along the marginojf` .the troughflike .portion |38 carrying molds .porting bracket 230.

.cani shaft 2 l0 at anyV time.

|391" The marginal edgesof the head' |94 are provided With sealing gasketswhich form a vacuum-tight seal with the member |38. Mounted above and in communication with the head |94 is a low vacuum control valve .202,r which vis connected withsuctionpipe 203. The pipe 203 connects with` aV manifold leading to a suction pump not shown in the drawings, and which pump exerts a suction to create a suitable partial vacuum condition within the structure. The amount of vacuum is indicated bya .gauge 204 carriedby the head |94. It is intended that suction action shall be progressively applied,A andfortliat reason the pipfe 203 ,is connected with the valve 202 whereby suction will be appliediniti'ally ata relay tively low negative pressure, TheI valve 202l con; trois this structure and is operated byfa lever 205 which has an arm 206 engaging a valve plunger ,201 and an arm 206 which engages the surface'of a cam 209. The cam is vmonnted upon a camshaft 2|0.v The lever 205 ,is mounted.L upon afpivot pin .27| l carried by anarm 2|2.,A suctionpipe 2| 3fis vprovided with ay high yvacuum valve' 2 l 4,. as shown in Fig. 16. This valvehasaplunger; 2|5 -englargediby an arm 2| 6 of a lever --(2|1. AThe opposite A arm 2|8 of the lever 2 l1engages a cam y2|9car ried onY the cam shaft 2|0. The lever-2|1l'is mountedfupona pivotpin 220 carried byva sup- `portingfarm 22|. ythehmechanism,described a low vacuum action is rst created when valve 202 isw'opened and a high vacuum action issubsequently created whenvalve 2|,3 is opened. This prevents the contents of the package fromA being drawnnpwardly into-the seam of the package `as would occur under initial violent suction action,. and would result `in the formation of a seam which ried vupon thecam shaft2||llf This lever-his mounted/upon a pivot pin4 229 carried by` as up- A frame element 23|, las in xigajfp-is vmounted at the end of the vacuum Yhead |94'and pivots around the .camshaft 2|0, so that the .vacuum head may have vertical movement without disturbing the,l relationship of the driving parts. The opposite end of the frame element 23| is pivotedupon a shaft v232 rto a frame element 233 which.y extends 4downwardly-land is pivoted on a transversedrive shaft y 273`4.- l,A Ysprocket.'235 is mounted upon the Y,drive shaft ,and carries .a sprocket chain 236 which is led around a sprocket ,231. The axis of the sprocket 23.1 4isthe'y pivot shaft 232. A second sprocket 2391s mounted Lrupcn the shaft 232and carries a sprocket chain 239. This is ledarounidal sprocket r`wheel 240 ymounted upon the cam shaft 2|0. -From' an examinationrof thisconstruction in Fig. 1` of the drawing, it will be seen that freefwvertical vInovementof 4the vacuurnhead |94, maytake place without interrupting vthe driving action of -the V Y i Vccuum'- sealing operation ;By reference to Figs.'13 to 1'1,inc., the sealing loperationwill beunderstood. It will` be seenthat :mounted adjacent to the mouth'of each of @the .mold elements |39 is a pair of foldingnger's |40 andi,A vThese-lingers normally extend vertically 10 and parallel to Leach other at opposite-sides of theiilled bag. 23, which .bag yis in the position shown in Fig. 25 o f the. drawing. The folding lingersV are mounted on pivots |42 and |43 Vand mayswing downwardly from the dotted line position shown in Fig; 1,3..to=the'so1id line position shown in that figure.v c f 3 The swinging mechanism is shown in Figs. 9 and 10. It will berseen thatthe pivotshafts |42 andz|43 carryg`ears 24|' and 242. These gears 'are-in mesh.'V The shaft. |43 carries atrip lever .243.-by :whichthe .gears are rotated to swing the Lvfolding4 jfingers|40 and |4| downwardly. .The .trip lever-,is-'shown in Fia-10, where it will be seengas having fingers 24.4 and 2,45. These fingers .engagedtrip .pins 2.46and 241 which are mounted upon the reciprocating plate '216 and will act first -to swing the lever and the set of folding ngers |40 and. |4|` intoy the position shown in Fig. 13 prior .to4 a, .heat sealing '.operation, ,.and; to there.- `after-swing thesefngeifs.; to; the.. dotted line posi .tion'showninthat vfigure as a'set'of m'olds |39 moves away from the sealing station... l The heat-sealing jin .the :present instance is `performed by reciprocating .heat and pressure .applying members; L: Referring Yvgparticularly. .to Figs. V1.3 and'f14.;o.f the drawings, it will be...seen ,that mounted uponjthe vacuum head |94 yis :a series of cylinders 248` supported by .bracket ,arms 248,. 'Mountedgwithin' eachof these Voylindersis axpiston 24.9, which is moved'v downward by air :pressurefexerted through the air manifold 25| Vconnected ,to thelcylinder head .252. 3 A cross-.head I253is1carried byeaclri ofgthepistons and has. at-

y.tached tgit; a. pair of springsI 254 which tend to draw thepiston upwardlyafter the heatV sealing .operationi The piston carries a pistonY rod 255 Awhich reciprocatesmith. it.y and extends through .an1-.0pening256 intthe .vacuum head1l94. VThe lower end of the piston rod 255 is tted with a side .arm-,251, upon whichislmounted an electric ...heating element 2.50.. Y'lihisfis:secured by afasteningnmernber'259u The lpointof the heating element extends downwardly.. and aSiShOWn in Fig. 1 '3 hasas'light blade-like protrusion 260 on it Whichzomssipf.. .aclialxcontct With the .closed `rnouthpf a'. container 23 during the sealvin'g'ip ratiicx'` l.. f

c i Divem 'cha7'1it Y Y.; The machineis Vprovided'with amain drive shaft 26| (Eig.` 3),. which extends transversely of the framestructureganci.;y midway the length .thereof. A drive pulley 262 is lconnected to one end of the shaft. YMounted upon the ,opposite end v.of the shaft" and yupon theopposite side of the framestructure is a worm gear 263 in mesh with a worml gear wheel 264'. .'lheworm. gear wheelis carried upon'th'e longitudinally extendingy shaft A|23. Thisris'fmounte'd in a series of lbearings 265 Ycarried upon the frame plate, IIJ.l

f Mounted upon the' shaft. |29 is a bevel gear '266 in meshwithagear 261. .The gear 261 is carried by a transverse shaft 26,8.' This'sh'aft at itsouter .Venid carries 'arsprocket269 around whichjthe sprocketchain'] passes. The shaft v268 carries 4cam--wheel |'60`upon'which the roller |59 of the vcam'lever |58rest'sand yby which it is moved. Al cam21|- is'also mounted on theshaftllly and provides ari-'operating ksurface'for a roller 212 "mounted-'on an yarmA y212'-?Wh'ich'swings on a; horizontalwpivot--'213-` Theroller 212, as shown` lby Vdotted lines ini-Fig'.v l,vv is mounted intermediate the ends offthe farmi' 212" ,1 whicharmis provided Vat fairieswii-ifhangamng fiisnpoeriedgezmsneuu iii' this.; position the members; I |'8 `will `ft'endiatlti keepii-lthe mouth' ofthe; .packages 123 r 'open s0 that 1 the. spreading: Lunits 149 may; `move downfv Wardly z and' enter the 1mc'autl'isof the: set of bags whiohrhave been. drawn `from .thefbin's of: the magazine 21 and will pull the bags loose fromthe forward lip I6 'and icarry-thel-:bags :downwardly into the fmold .'units |39 fand' into zthezmolds |39;

. previously: stated, thef spreading; 49 are formed with a `plurality of walls articulatly connected, as shown :in-,Eig 27.- of: the'. drawingi these vunits f move .downwardly.V the .fba'gs;2vv-ill move between@ thezguide :ande-forming plates |39 wardlyzand .thesides :19 and7 lifwill `he forced-zoute wardly to give :the proper;.rectangular i-erossav sectional shapetc the bag.; the bagacontinue's to 'movefdownwardly Vas. shown in.:Fig. Sect-:the dra'iwing, it Lwill pass, between the .pressing vrollers |33, which yieldably bearfagainst; theaopposite edge walls and"forcibly .fold ythewseams-I32 against the Iside ofthe wall. as; shown indig.l -`24 of the drawing. As .tl'iefformlngl .units49 com tinue to move-downwardly rthe bottom1-walls will be-,moved upwardly .toa-positional alignmentv sothatthe forming-units wllbeexpanded and the bag` .will be'V expanded fand-.gformemg as .-indi.- cated in Fig. 24 of the elrawi-ngf.-44 -Astheedrive mechanism j'associatved'g-:With shaft 291 continues to function, the Ibag ,forming units will beretracted and oollapse'jd. and `thcaf-'cross-head will moveto its uppermost position. due to the,.driv ing action 'ofthe `p1ate`395 adzlther''coll action of the springs 65. The cycle of a on 6i tl bag openingandpositiningnhswill thus be completed. When the .package has b'en.formed and "laced inthe `mold..lsii'in tne'shane hewn in.; Y .thedrawihg it will stand'withgthe op; oith injthepositin shown by'dttdlihes inf'i- 13. Ith'is condition the tf'Q-inlled containers are lnilovedlfro'rh the stationfA tojthe statiol-B theconveyor'chainsV ZUand v tr*'rx'iitten'tly.Y 'At stati'B the Vspouts '|41 will be in alignment with the mouth of the containers 23 as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 18 and 19. When in this position the lever |5| will be oscillated so that it will swing in the direction of the arrow c, as shown in Fig. 2, and will move the spouts |41 downwardly. The lever |5| is operated through a connecting rod I 55 which is secured to the lever end |56 and is operated by the cam |69 carried on the shaft 268. As the cam operates the spout will be lowered into the mouth of the bag 23 and material will ll into the bag. It has been found that in order to iirmly packthe bag the lower end of each spout is made with the project-Y ing portions |6| and |62 and the cutaway sides, thus allowing uniform distribution of the material as it ows from the end of the spout andV into the bag.

After a set of bags 23 has been filled atthe filling station B the intermittent conveyor drive will carry the lled bags to the spreading station C. `At the spreading station C the row of molds |39 will be disposed beneath the structure shown in Figs. 7 and 8. While in this position the spreading bars |68 and |69 will move from their retracted positions, as shown in Fig. '1, to their extended positions as shown in Fig. 8. This is accomplished due to the fact that each of the bars is tted with a gear rack in mesh with gear pinions |13 and |15, which pinions in turn mesh emanati-aangemeten bar:|11;1-f.fzfi*ne=atietaf H-'rinovesvnxsrizontauyfasactuated. yrtne' swing# ing nieve ntf-ef 'the lever-ISU to which the' nee erin offline.' ckl-barzisfocnnected:-..frne ieveriso isfnoun nponfthefshaftl-silanu is-Ioperatedipy thefca leiifcfarriedcnponvtheiongitndinallyfseii tendingzdrivefshaf |.28;1.-anusfwnich- 'ain-r swings tnesfleverf-fmm owne thai-spreading arse' Scand isolare-moved o th-position shown Figesof the `rcli-fa'iwing#the rends lne the:harsindieatedifiiii detail :in .Fig lL-wilifewingx outwardlwas shown :in 'l Fig-.f e0,- -the :mouth 1 erf-tnaofitainer will be spread-:ana substantianyoreaseu to ischia tate in the nal Vfolding and sealinglbperati'oin Afiev'er'srswing-ing factionfffot the `lieve 4.00 `Yvill then 12move? `Vthe spreading r: bars flies: 1 "theirflitraetflpositins;-lteiwhicha' mciienint: loftheeccnveycr.:chains `will @position the incid unit :beneath the v'acuun'i` f. headrlsii. Whenthe trough-11ikespcrtionsofitheniold unit |38 is in alignment with the vacuum.;l'ie'adfi'the vaeum'ihead.isflowered.Jintosposition Lby ia'tion of :eversiiZI-B -wiiich'iate operated by Lfthelcamr overxwhichzthescam-frollerg219rridesifcnsethevac; Y

uum head.. I 94 f is =f lowered; tinto fposition'.' it4 vwill makefai-tight's'eal with ther.mldunit`:| fsothat suction can fb'efapplied. 'Priortothis aotiomhow'a ever;l theLfb'ell 'cranki.foimedi.zbyr lever' arms i244 and. 'rengaged .a pi 246^so :that the .gearsfMZI aridi/242 Would. be-rotated and fthe :folding vblades I 49.'an'd 1|;4I l would be :folded down to theDosi-y tionf=shown inf-Fig.; iof thedrawingr` This "will temporarily hold the :folded s end of. :they fbagfgso that thefabutting facespf ,the portions -.24and,25 will .flzezheldY against'seach eother and. .folded over directlygabove thef'material with whichttheibagZ Ais-iilled.v Inv this'conditionrthefcam shaft |.Iilyroifgk f tates to'foperateatheqcams thereon .andto cause the avalv'e.- 292 .-.tcopen :for a predetermined :period as `'-avlow negative pressure :is .exertedyupon the packages in..the.molds @to .evacuate v.the air. from the packages s zand." .from L around f. they'material therein f .without disturbing the .mate rialg so that itwouldf. be "drawn between thev opposed faces forming. Athe 'seal.V I-As :the fcam-.fshafticontinues to rotate the valve 202 will close and the valve 2|4 willopen. This valve establishes connection with suction means, whereby a high suction pressure is exerted to complete the vacuum action and to render the package under a high partial vacuum. A control valve 3|3`is then actuated to admit air and to force the heating element 259 downwardly from within the vacuum head |94 to contact the overlapping mouth of the bag and to forcibly press the edge 260 of the heating element against the overlapping portion of the bag. so that it will be held rmly against the member |44 of the folding blade |4I. This will cause the inner surfaces of the walls of the'bag 23 to be heat sealed under a condition of high partial vacuum. When the valve 3|3 is next manipulated Vthe heating element will be retracted from theposition shown in Fig. 14 to the posi-A Vplace the packages will be Yshaped to agree in` conguration with that of the molds |39V in the manner set forth and claimed in my Patent No. 2,241,943 issued May 13, 1941. As the operating cam 280 moves, the vacuum sealing head |94 will be lifted so that the set of molds 139 may be advanced to a discharge point of the; machine,- such for example as at X in Fig. 1 of the drawing. Y.

It may be found necessary in connection with certain types of food products to subject the filled package toa prolongedvacuumizing period under either low suction or high suction action, in which event itwill be possible to subject a plurality of molds to low suction action at one station and a, plurality of molds to high suction action at the final seaming station. Thus, the nal seaming operation may be taking place while the initial suction action is being applied to the unsealed packages. Y Y

VIt will thus be seen from the foregoing disclosure that means are provided -whereby collapsed paper bags with non-reentrant folds may be maintained in hoppers and fedto the ma'- chine, where they areopened, shaped, filled and heat sealed by a simple continuous and automatic operation. f

While I have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes may be made in -combination, construction and arrangement of parts by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

Having thus described lmy invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for forming and sealing a package formed from a flat sheet of material having a. continuous fluid-tight and fusible inner envelope,v the walls of which envelope at the top are free from seams and folds between the ends thereof; which comprises a member formed with a cavity of the shape to'be assumed by thefinal package and within which said envelope is placed, means inserted into said envelope to spread the envelope to conform to the cavity and to permit the bag to be filled when said forming means is removed, means moving into the openl mouth of the envelope to engage vthe end walls of the envelope at the top and intermediate the width thereof to separate the endwalls until the opposite perimeter lengths of said walls are drawn 16 substantially together, and a set crease ls made in the opposite end walls at the points of engagement therewith, means for applying suction to said package to withdraw the atmosphere therefrom,.and means to engage the opposite perimeter lengths of said walls at the mouth thereof and to apply heat and pressure while sealing the package. v

2. A machine for forming and sealing a packfge formed from a fiat sheet of material having ,-pack'age and within which said envelope is placed, .""means1 inserted into said envelope to spread the envelope toconform to the cavity and to permit the bag to be filledwhen said forming means is removed means moving into the open mouth of theenvelope to engage the end'walls ofthe envelope at the Vtop and intermediate the width thereof to separate the end walls until the oppo' site perimeter lengths of said walls are drawn substantially together and a set crease is made in the opposite end walls at the points of engage-l ment therewith, and means to engage the opposite perimeter lengths of said walls at the'mouth thereof and toapply heat and pressurev whil sealing the package.

f SAMUEL H. BERCH.

1 REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of record in the 

